The Soviet regime was masterful in the use of propaganda in order to further the support of their cause. One such example of this is the movie that we all recently watched, Chapaev. Chapaev tells the story of a Red Army commander during the Russian Civil war who was eventually ambushed and killed in the Ural River by White Army troops. This film was used by the Soviet regime as propaganda for many years to great success. Even today, Chapaev is viewed as one of the greatest films of all time and is shown all over the world.

Chapaev was a soldier who came from a peasantry background and had very little education. This was made apparent by his statement during the movie “It’s only been two years since I have learned to read.” Despite this, he was still able to advance in the military and escape his modest upbringing. This is exactly the kind of story that Soviet officials would want to promote. The Soviets believed that every man had his worth and by immortalizing a man such as Chapaev in a film, they were able to subconsciously promote this ideal in the people.

However, this film held many Soviet ideals other than the rise of the peasantry. Equality among the sexes was another Soviet ideal that was placed into the movie. In the beginning of the movie we are introduced to Anka, a woman that is attempting to learn how to work the machine gun. At first, she is not taken seriously by Petka, who makes moves that have nothing to do with operating a weapon. However, Anka eventually becomes proficient with the gun and is instrumental in repelling the Whites, as she realizes that she can inflict more damage by waiting for them to draw within reasonable range of fire. For this, Chapaev thanks and congratulates her, treating her as an equal among men. This idea of equality among the sexes was, at this time, a uniquely Soviet idea. In placing it in the movie, the Soviets succeed in showing one more way of how they are different from the capitalists.